Madonna news - Dec. 2003

15 December - Madonna goes 1, 10, 20 in US dance chart
In this weeks issue of Billboard Magazine, Madonna has THREE titles
on the Club Play chart: Me Against
The Music (No. 1) (No. 2 last week), Nobody
Knows Me (No. 10) (No. 4 last week) and Nothing
Fails (No. 20) (No. 30 last week). Madonna is the second artist
in 18 years to achieve three simultaneous entries on this chart
- the other being Bronski Beat (which charted in 1985). This is
the second week in a row that Madonna has had three songs on the
dance chart.
In other chart news, Love Profusion
has debuted at #11 on the UK Top 20.
And on a side note: Belgian radio has finally picked up Nothing
Fails: it's been chosen as "taste of the week" by
Radio Donna. 15 December - 20 years of Madonna
The Dayton
Daily News posted some reader comments on Madonna and her 20
year old career:
Nobody ever says, "Madonna who?" She's part of our culture,
an American success story who's maintained a media presence for
20 years now, re-inventing herself with every prevailing wind, while
never, ever giving the impression she's doing anything other than
what she wants to do. We are by turns impressed, embarrassed, shocked
and amazed by Madonna's antics, but we're rarely surprised anymore.
Madonna, the dancer from Detroit, set out to become famous and succeeded
beyond anybody's but her own wildest dreams. She's 45, and shows
no signs of slowing down or relinquishing her place in the spotlight;
in fact, she's been known to share it quite generously from time
to time -- kissing Britney Spears was good publicity for both women,
and if anybody knows publicity, it's Madonna.
Two decades have passed since the material girl first stormed the
scene. That's a long time to hold America's attention, and many
of us still recall when we first became aware of the phenomenon
named Madonna.
I remember when I heard Madonna for the first time. It was 1990,
I was 5 years old, and it was the night that HBO aired her Blonde
Ambition World Tour, live from Madison Square Garden. My father
was never a big Madonna fan, but he taped it that night, so I got
to watch it again and again. That's when it all happened. I started
dressing like Madonna, memorized her song and dance steps and had
her posters hanging up all around my room.
When I started my Madonna collection, my family thought it was a
stage. As the years passed, I got older and collected all her music,
movies, concerts and specials. During my teen years, I stopped dressing
like her, but kept listening to her music, and I have to say she
helped me out during those years. She taught me to express myself
and always be myself no matter what!
Many people are surprised by my admiration for Madonna, but I will
say the inspiration I got from Madonna has, in many ways, made me
the person I am today.
-- Angella Llewellyn, Dayton

A tiny-talented, average-looking girl from Detroit decided she was
going to be a star and multimillionaire, and she did it! From the
gitgo, she used every trick she could think of to shock people,
using her body and sex to perpetuate this shock value. She broke
all the rules...
Now that she has attained her goals, she is playing the role of
the caring mother and wife, who is lily pure. Her smugness and arrogance
during interviews is disgusting. I would rather be poor than get
rich using sex and shock values. In my opinion, she is a sleaze
and nothing but trailer trash. She humiliated her father.
-- Thomas J. Glaser

Years ago, when I was a teacher at a parochial school, the school
had a special assembly for a talent show. We were all shocked when
a young girl stood in front of the students and visiting parents
and lip-synched Like a Virgin.
Needless to say, new policies were quickly written for all future
shows!
-- Dayton reader

Back in the late '70s and early '80s, I was a pure "rock 'n'
roller." My music was hard and fast . . . I hated disco, Top
40s and anything that was asssociated with dancing.
Then one day in 1983 I was sitting on my beat-up couch, watching
MTV, and this girl starts dancing and singing a song called Lucky
Star. Her voice was great, she showed her belly and she just
seemed overall so sexy! After that video, my whole attitude changed
toward music. I started listening to Top 40 and going to dance clubs.
Basically, Madonna single-handedly changed my whole taste in music!
I love Madonna's attitude.
-- Chuck Biehn, Centerville

I guess I am a closet Madonna fan, as it's not easy for a 67-year-old
to admit. I have been an avid fan since I saw Evita.
I was prompted to watch the movie for its historical content because
I remembered, as a child, my parents discussing Evita and Peron.
What I did not anticipate was that I would fall in love with Madonna's
portrayal of Evita and that I would play the video over and over
again. When she sang Don't
Cry for Me, Argentina, I told my daughter that I wanted that
song played at my funeral -- I may change my mind when I get closer
to that stage in my life and pick a more appropriate song. But that
song is Madonna at her best!
-- Yolanda Nava, Dayton

I am 23 years old, and considering I was only 3 when Madonna came
out, my memories of her debut are limited but that doesn't mean
I wasn't a fan from the beginning. (I remember) my two older sisters,
in their teens, trying so hard to be like her and act like her.
Sitting there watching them put on layers upon layers of eyeshadow
is one thing I remember, and it was really great because when I
sat there in awe of this, they would then play dressup with me and
allow me to put on their makeup!
-- Heidi Macke

My friends and I were definitely Madonna wannabes! I remember my
girlfriend buying a T-shirt that said "Boy Toy" on it.
I think her older music is better, but probably because it stirs
up so many memories. The fact that she is still going strong 20
years later I think is great. More power to her.
-- Davina Powell, Fairborn

When Madonna hit it big, I had not even been conceived ... yet I
can still proudly claim that I have grown up listening to her songs,
just maybe a few years too late. In my opinion, she is the apotheosis
of a person. Madonna is one of the few superstars who never fell
into addiction, because she always had the goal of brilliance in
the back of her mind. I respect her constant rebirths and accepting
views of the world.
It saddens me that people say her grasp on the media is weakening,
because I know it's true. When I see her rolling on the floor with
Britney, I can't help to think how much better she is than that.
I mean, hell, you are a superstar, but you are still over 40 with
kids!
-- Zhenya Karelina, Dayton

In 1983, I was 14 years old and a freshman at Catholic Central in
Springfield. I did not copy Madonna's style, but I watched as other
girls did -- let the uniform code war begin! Female students vs.
faculty members. Girls tried to emulate Madonna, despite a "uniform
dress code" in place.
I once used Madonna's lifestyle and song lyrics as a speech topic
with the point being she was misunderstood. I spoke longer than
needed, wasn't finished when the bell rang, and the teacher gave
me an 'A'.
I love the movie Desperately Seeking
Susan and I own the video of Who's
That Girl. I never saw any of her other movies. I liked her
MTV videos, including the controversial Like
A Prayer. I lost interest in her when she hit her girls-gone-wild+infinity
stage. I've liked a song here and there since then, but the '80s
were the best.
-- Lisa Schuler, Dayton

I was a window clerk at the Dabel Post Office in the '80s. One Christmas
season a woman came to my window and asked for some Christmas stamps.
I asked her if she wanted the contemporary or the Madonna. She looked
at me strange and said, "Contemporary, I don't even like Madonna's
music. Why would I want her on a stamp?" I then pulled out
both kinds of stamps and said to her, "Madonna, as in Mother
and Child." The customer started laughing and I could tell
she was more than embarrassed by what she had said! This has been
a favorite story that I have loved to tell for years!
-- Jamie Hamilton, Forest Park11 December - Chart summaryBelgium
In its second week in the StuBru 50, Remixed & Revisited jumps
from #43 to #22. In Wallonia it has already entered the Ultratop
50 albums chart at #37. No entry in Flanders yet. Nothing
Fails/Love Profusion is
charting as a double A-side and debutes in the newcomers chart Ultratip
20 at #19 in Flanders and #11 in Wallonia. Radios haven't yet picked
up the song, so we'll have to wait for an entry on the Ultratop
50 singles chart. Madonna currently has one entry in the Ultratop
50: Me Against The Music
is dropping from #6 to #7 in its 5th week (it peaked at #5 two weeks
ago).

US
It's not looking good for Remixed & Revisited in the States.
Apparently it only sold about 8000 copies this week and it won't
appear in the Billboard album chart. Last week, Me
Against The Music regained its previous peak #35 in the Hot
100, but this week it dropped again to #40. In the Hot Dance / Club
Play it's doing better, now peaking at #9. Another Madonna entry
in the dance chart, Nobody Knows
Me rises from #8 to #4.

UK
Remixed & Revisited spends a second week at #1 in the Dance
Album chart. The American Life
album makes a re-entry in that chart at #30. In its 4th week, Me
Against The Music drops to #20 in the singles chart and to #13
in the dance chart. Love Profusion
will be competing against Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Nelly
Furtado, and Rachel Stevens for the top spot in the singles chart.

France
In France, Remixed & Revisited is not eligible for the album
chart nor the single chart. However, it reached #1 in the Top Mid
Price Chart, which includes albums more than two years old and/or
budget albums. Nothing Fails
also enters the French singles chart at #34. Me
Against The Music drops from #11 to #15.

Italy
Madonna has two new entries in the Italian Singles Chart. Remixed
& Revisited enters the singles chart straight at number 2. Nothing
Fails/Nobody Knows Me enters
the same chart at number 8, thanks to combined sales of the Nothing
Fails CD single and CD Maxi single. Me
Against The Music is at number 5 in the chart. Love
Profusion is also likely to be released as a single in Italy
next Friday.

AustraliaMe Against The Music drops
to #4 in the singles chart but stays comfortably at #1 for a 4th
week in the dance chart.
(sources: Ultratop,
MLVC, MadonnaTribe,
AbsoluteMadonna)11 December - Billboard chart info
Keith,
I wanted to inquire on the chart position/sales of Madonna's "Remixed
& Revisited." I love the album, and I appreciate how the
mixes are constructed -- great party album!
Thanks, Dora Johnson

Hi Dora,
Madonna's 'Remixed & Revisited' EP debuted at No. 115 on last
week's Billboard 200 chart. It sold 22,000 copies in the U.S. in
its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's pretty good
for a seven-track set considering it consists mostly of remixes
from the American Life album.
Her current radio single is Nothing
Fails, while dance clubs are spinning both Fails
as well as Nobody Knows Me.
This week on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Play chart, Madonna has
two titles on the chart. She's No. 9 as a featured artist on Britney
Spears' Me Against the Music
and No. 4 with Nobody Knows Me.
Both Nothing Fails and Nobody
Knows Me appear in remixed form on the 'Remixed & Revisited'
EP. On Dec. 9, Madonna released a maxi-single with remixes of Nothing
Fails and Nobody Knows Me.
Earlier this year, American Life
debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It has since sold 608,000
copies.
(source: Billboard)10 December - Madonna granted a Licence to Kill
Madonna could be set to star as the villain in a new female Bond
movie. Now I've been hearing a lot about this writer/producer from
London, Ben Trebilcook. He's written a treatment for 'Die Hard 4'
and he's also the man behind the long-in-the-works spy film 'Semper
Occultus'. Yesterday, we mentioned a rumour that Madonna might be
in talks to star in the latter film. Today the man himself checked
in to confirm there are talks to that affect. "To clarify yesterday's
bite: Yes, I have sought Madonna and her company Maverick for assistance
and yes, I did pen a role for her. It's a villainous role. One of
two. The other baddie was written for Mr. Jason Statham, whose team
I'm in close contact with. There are some very exciting prospects
for this project and although slowly, it is heading towards a satisfying
destination. I have already penned a treatment for a second adventure
for Kelly Brook's character, Daisy Norton-Hall, which will probably
be released in book form."
For the uninitiated, Semper Occultus was first announced
as a possible vehicle for popstress Geri Halliwell, and later Sean
Connery. (source: Moviehole)10 December - Good review for R&R
Madonna's stocking stuffer "Remixed & Revisited" is
an amusing collection of novelties - half a dozen new versions of
old songs plus a previously unreleased number - though it's little
more than an "oh by the way."
The EP includes four unconventional revamps of songs from the singer's
recent American Life album.
In a twist on today's standard mode of remixing - turning them into
tiring dance cuts with no personality and only tentative links to
the originals - these tracks are crafty reinventions.
Jason Nevins retools the gorgeous Nothing
Fails with gutsy imagination. The new version starts with a
bouncier beat, then piles on floating synthesizers and ever-grainier
electricity. He also strips out the melodramatic choir from the
original (smart move) and, despite the more emphatic production,
keeps the attention on Madonna's full-bodied, sweet vocals.
Remixer Ray Carroll puts his mark on both Love
Profusion and American Life.
The former withstands an invigorating squall of guitars for a rocking
overhaul, while the latter (a choppy cut to begin with) is improved
as a thrashing metal epic. And like Nevins, Carroll keeps the vocals
at center.
Meanwhile, Mount Sims loads Madonna onto the retro-electro bandwagon
with a playful reinterpretation of Nobody
Knows Me.
"Remixed & Revisited" also includes the medley of
Like a Virgin and Hollywood
performed by Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy
Elliott. It's a bundle of energetic fun, even if Madonna sounds
a little shaky and you can't see those notorious woman-on-woman
kisses.
The new EP offers the full version of the Gap ad Into
the Hollywood Groove, again featuring Elliott. It's a clever
splicing of Madonna's 1980s dance classic Into
the Groove and her 2003 single Hollywood,
but the commercial overtones are off-putting. "Remixed &
Revisited" has a flat ending, too, in a previously unreleased,
dated-sounding Your Honesty
from about a decade ago.
Still, "Remixed & Revisited" is a must-have for fans.
Rating: 3-1/2
(source: CommercialAppeal,
thanx to MadonnaTribe)10 December - Pictures of book reading
Yesterday, Madonna read her book 'Mr. Peabody's Apples' to
a group of 30 students from the Community Magnet School at the Borders
bookstore in Los Angeles. For more pictures from Reuters and AP,
check Yahoo!
photos.09 December - TOTP rates LP/NF single
Some folk will have you believe that Madonna's American
Life album is rubbish. Certainly, it's not sold as much as its
predecessor Music but don't be
fooled into thinking that Madge at 45 is any less worthy of the
title Queen of Pop. This double-header proves that she can still
cut the mustard, pop-wise. Love
Profusion takes over where last single Hollywood
left off but the real gem is Nothing
Fails. Starting with the stuttery guitars and techno camp-fire
sound of Don't Tell Me,
the song takes off halfway through when Mrs Ritchie gets joined
by a rousing gospel choir, the like of which we've not heard since
Like A Prayer. Unfortunately,
a lack of video for this song and poor airplay could mean that this
release fails to hit the Top 10. Shame. TOTP rating: 4 stars (out
of 5) (source: Top
Of The Pops)08 December - Madge maid in heaven
A 'low-key celebrity bash' - that's what Sky are amusingly calling
it... So goes the news that Madonna is expected to be a maid of
honour at the showbiz wedding of the year (well, maybe next year)
between pap-hating Chris Martin and Gwyneth 'no pizzas in London'
Paltrow. Can't wait to see the menu for the catering on that one:
a macrobiotic brown rice-cake per guest plus a course of pilates
free to any over-indulgers (such as two macrobiotic brown rice-cakes).
Preggers Gwynnie and her clever-clogs hubby-to-be are tipped to
the tie the knot very soon, with the female half of the pairage
expected to don a posh Stella McCartney frock. Expect Chrissie boy
to wash the 'fair trade' scribble off his mitts before the big day.
And a pal (oh, one of them again) told Sky: "This is not going
to be a circus, they will do it in their own time and on their own
terms." Roll up, roll up for the full-blown, no-holds-barred,
low-key media frenzy. (source: MegaStar)07 December - Billboard reviews R&R
Ostensibly a holiday offering, Madonna's 'Remixed & Revisited'
asks: "What if American
Life had been a rock'n'retro album?" Life
was a dour effort, where Madonna's unsubtle and preachy lyrics were
married with boring, techno-beepy production by knob-twiddler Mirwais.
On this seven-track EP, four Life
songs are radically reworked in rock remixes. The best are Headcleanr's
new wave, garage-rock rejiggering of Love
Profusion and Mount Sims' fab restructured, retro-'80s, electro
take on Nobody Knows Me. Three
stray songs round out the set: Your
Honesty (a fun outtake from the Bedtime
Stories sessions), this year's notorious MTV Video Music Awards
performance and a remix of Into
the Hollywood Groove (from the famed Gap commercial). Die-hard
fans, even those unenamored of American
Life, will dig this EP—thanks to these thoughtful extras.
(source: Billboard)
~ Meanwhile, 'Remixed and Revisited' is spending a second week at
#1 of the UK Dance Album chart.04 December - Love Profusion video premieres
The Love Profusion has finally
premiered. The video looks a lot like the Estée Lauder commercial,
which was also directed by Luc Besson. Fansite MadonnaTribe
gives following info: "The video directed by Luc Besson takes
place in two different dimensions. It starts with Madonna walking
at night in the middle of the street of a big American city surrounded
by skyscrapers and wind. Then she founds herself in another dimention,
walking just like she did before but everything is full of light
and moving flowers surround her. The video keeps showing Madonna
walking on different kinds of paths and roads. She walks on a path
of red flowers in the middle of the sky, and then walks on her knees
on a carabean like sea. At the end when there's distruction everywhere
in the real dimention, Madonna finds peace and rest in the other
dimention surrounded by white fairies. What is clear from the video
is that there are many paths to walk in life and "too too too"
many options. The video is using the album version of the song and
not the Headcleaner rock mix as rumored in the past weeks."
Visit MadonnaTribe
for more screencaps or download it in .mpeg format at MadonnaStore
(right-click on image below right and save target as)04 December - Grammy nominations
The video for Die Another Die
has received two Grammy nominations: in the categories 'Best Dance'
and 'Best Short Form Music Video'. The 46th Grammy Awards will be
held on February 8th, 2004 at 8pm, broadcast live on CBS.04 December - EP in Billboard chart
Remixed & Revisited debuts at #115 on BILLBOARD with 21,891
sold (314 were sold prior to street date). (source: Absolute Madonna)03 December - Madonna impressed by Democratic presidential candidate
In an unlikely attempt to gain star backing for a slow-burning campaign,
the Democratic presidential candidate, General Wesley Clark, is
spending late nights talking politics with Madonna and wooing sympathetic
supergroups such as The Eagles, with whom he recently shared the
stage during a rendition of Hotel California.
Gen Clark, who had a cerebral and somewhat austere reputation during
his military career, has spent much of the past month seeking out
the late-night company of west coast rock stars, screen idols and
movie producers. While his rivals preach to the worthy but unglamorous
residents of early-voting Iowa and New Hampshire, Gen Clark is dressing
snappily and going out on the town in LA.
After a 90-minute policy discussion with Madonna in her Los Angeles
home recently, a friend of the star was authorised to disclose that
"Madonna was very impressed with Gen Clark's intelligence and
his vision for America". Another associate added: "Don't
under-estimate this. Madonna is often ahead of the curve."
(source: Telegraph)02 December - Madonna working on musical with Pat Leonard? *rumour*
Madonna has been working on a musical with Patrick Leonard called
'Hello Suckers'. The two of them have already been working on music
and lyrics over the past year and have completed a large body of
material. Madonna plays a 1920's vaudeville-like tap-dancing star.
(source: Madonnalicious)
~ Madonna has said before she's working indeed on a musical. Earlier
rumours also named Joe Henry and Mirwais as possible collaborators.
02 December - R&R hits # 1 in UK Dance Album chart
In the UK, Remixed & Revisited has debuted at no. 1 in the Top
40 Dance Albums chart!
In other chart news: Me Against
The Music stays at the top of the Australian dance chart for
a third week, while it slips to no. 3 in the singles chart. In the
UK it goes down from no. 6 to no. 11 in the singles chart and up
from no. 8 to no. 5 in the dance chart. In the Belgian Ultratop
it climbs from no. 7 to no. 5. (sources: Absolute
Madonna, Ultratop)02 December - New Madonna figures at Madame Tussauds
The Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York has revealed a new Madonna
figure today. It seems losely based on Madonna during her Drowned
World Tour, with her hair tied back (as during the Spanish-Latino
section) and the cowboy glitterjeans by D Squared (as during Don't
Tell Me). Pictures courtesy of AP. 02 December - Depression era inspires Peabody illustrator
Ask him to describe his work and he will say conventional realism
with an edge. Ask Madonna to describe his work and she might say
visionary. In fact Madonna was so impressed with Loren Long's "vision"
she hired the artist to illustrate her new children's book. -- "Mr.
Peabody's Apples," (Callaway Editions/ Penguin; $19.95).
"I got the call on Halloween last year. My wife and I were
trying to get our boys ready for trick-or-treating," Long says.
"A call from my agent comes in, and he says he is faxing me
a confidentiality agreement that I have to sign before he can tell
me what it's about."
Nicholas Callaway, founder of Callaway Editions, had conducted a
worldwide search to find the right illustrator for Madonna's book.
"We spent many months researching the project," Callaway
says. "We thought Loren was perfect for the work stylistically.
His work is inspired by Thomas Hart Benton. So we gave him a test
and he passed with flying colors."
The test was to create an illustration based on the book's manuscript
without any direction. Long says he knew exactly what to paint.
He came back with the image that would be featured on the book's
cover. "I think I was meant for this story," Long says.
"It was destiny that they chose the right guy."
Read the complete article at Times
Recorder. 01 December - Gwyneth Paltrow beats Madonna to play thief
Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has beaten her pal Madonna
to play a London diamond thief. Both superstars wanted the rights
to the story of Joan Harrington - known as The Godmother - who stole
$5 million dollars worth of jewels from London's top jewellers in
the 1980s. But it's Gwyneth who is now set to bring the tale, based
on Joan's autobiography I Am What I Am, to the big screen and don
a Cockney accent. And Joan - who spent just 18 months in prison
for her crimes - is happy the Shakespeare in Love beauty won out,
because Madonna "can't act". She says, "They wanted
Guy Ritchie to buy it, so Madonna could play me. "Number one,
she can't act. Two, she can't do a Cockney accent and Gwyneth can.
She's really happy to be playing the part and she can't put the
book down, apparently. I'm happy that she's doing it. I think she
will do me justice. She's very lucky to be playing me." (source:
TeenHollywood)